The Truth Hurts
by fadoodle
Summary: PaigeKyle. What happens when the youngest Charmed One meets a suspicious Agent Brody? As the two become increasingly close, Piper and Phoebe uncover a secret that may put Paige’s impending relationship in jeopardy.
1. The Beginning

I've always wanted to write a Kyle/Paige fanfic and so here I am doing it. First off a few details that I am changing in relation to the show….

Paige - I've always preferred Paige to be younger than she is in the show. If she had been younger then I think there would have been better storylines for her.

Therefore in my fic Paige is 19/20. Phoebe and Piper are the same age as they are written. Let's just suspend disbelief for a moment and pretend that the time-line works.

Cole - Cole is alive. The part of him being the Source did happen but they managed to save him blah blah blah and Phoebe forgave him. He is still half demon.

Everyone trusts Cole, including Paige, although they aren't really close.

Kyle - He is an agent with Homeland Security (I think that's where he's from) however there is no Inspector Sheridan; he's just targeting the Charmed Ones on his own.

This takes place after Styx Feet Under.

Title: The Truth Hurts

Summary: Paige/Kyle. What happens when the youngest Charmed One meets a suspicious Agent Brody? As the two become increasingly close, Piper and Phoebe uncover a secret that may put Paige's impending relationship in jeopardy.

Disclaimer: I do not own, or am in any affiliated with, Charmed. Please do not sue me - this is simply the work of an over-active imagination.

Chapter 1

Paige groaned as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She wished that she could stay in slumber land forever.

As she opened her eyes, she stared up at the familiar floral ceiling above her bed. She tried to put out of her mind the fact that in a few minutes her oldest sister, Piper, would come barging into her room to wake her up.

Piper was the mother figure that every child would love to have. Except for her. Despite her constant protests that she was not a child anymore, Piper still did not trust that Paige was mature enough to handle the full reality of a magical life.

Piper and Phoebe still kept secrets from her, even though it was Paige who was the one to uncover that Cole was evil. The bond that she expected to have with the sisters when they first met is not the one that she had now.

As far as Paige was concerned, she felt like the fifth wheel of the family that didn't belong.

The swift opening of her door disturbed Paige from her train of thought.

"Are you still not up, Paige? What if a demon was to attack now? What should I say? 'Oh, I'm sorry, could you come back in a couple of hours when the Charmed Ones can fully vanquish you because Paige is asleep right now'." Paige rolled her eyes as she looked at her babbling sister standing over her with a disapproving look.

"I was just about to get out of bed."

Piper sighed, "Well hurry up. I have to go to the club to sort out the contract for the band playing tonight. You promised you'd look after Wyatt and Chris."

Paige dragged her legs out of bed and stood up, stretching the sleep out of her body. "Don't panic, I remember. Has Leo still not come back from the Elders yet?"

Piper shook her head as she pushed Paige out of her bedroom and to the bathroom door down the hall. "No. But I think he's probably gone to help his other charge. He has a life away from us."

Her younger sister smiled at Piper's answer. "I bet you wish he didn't though. That you and him could be smooching all day long like those two." Paige pointed to the locked bathroom door. She pressed her ear against the door and pulled a disturbed face when she heard Phoebe's giggling from inside.

"Don't be so silly Paige. Leo and I have a deeper relationship than that of teenagers," Piper replied. "But I guess it would be nice to have him to myself more often. Anyway, listen, don't be long cos I have to be getting off soon."

"Hey, I'm waiting for Romeo and Juliet in there. Blame them!" she shouted to her sister as she walked away. She started to get irritated by the incessant giggling from behind the door. "You two have a room, use it! Get a move on!" she said, banging on the oak door.

"Just a minute!" she heard Cole reply.

'At least Leo's away so I don't have to play 5th wheel to the two couples' she thought as she leaned against the wall.

Living in a house with two blissful duos was a living hell. If it wasn't accidentally walking in on Phoebe and Cole getting 'busy' then it was Piper and Leo playing a happy family with the boys.

She didn't begrudge the fact that her sisters had found happiness. It's not as if leading a normal is possible when demons tend to want to kill her every five minutes. However, being seen as a babysitter wasn't what she had hoped for when she left school.

'I'm not jealous,' Paige stubbornly thought. 'Ok, maybe a little jealous,' she conceded.

The bathroom door finally opened to reveal Phoebe and Cole wrapped up in their dressing gowns, kissing and groping each other.

Paige stood in the doorway with her arms folded. "I'd appreciate it next time if you kept your sexual antics confined to your bedroom. Piper is in a mood with me now because I'm going to be late."

"Chill out, Paige," Cole said, as he and Phoebe pushed past her and down the hall. "Someone needs to get laid," he whispered to Phoebe, who giggled.

"I heard that!" Paige slammed the bathroom door shut and leaned against it. She found more and more that her thoughts were the only comfort to her.

* * *

A freshly showered Paige came down the stairs to be greeted by the sight of Piper, Phoebe, Cole, Wyatt and baby Chris gathered around the table. She ignored the frown on Piper's face and sat down next to baby Chris.

"You're not mad at me, are you? I know you love Aunty Paige," she whispered to the gurgling baby. The smile on his face was all the validation Paige needed of her question. With that she proceeded to butter her toast.

The high-pitched jingling and stream of blue particles in the air meant only one thing; Leo.

"Sorry I took so long up there. I had to make a quick stop off at my charge, Sandy." Leo planted an apologetic kiss on Piper's cheek before walking over to greet his sons.

"So what did they say about this Brody guy? Demon or human?" Cole asked.

"They can't be sure whether he is a demon or not. He hasn't targeted any other witches so you guys have to be careful around him. The Elders did say that there is an unbalance in the magical world. Apparently there could be an impending danger on the horizon," Leo informed them.

Paige rolled her eyes as she ate a strawberry, "Tell us something we don't know."

"Well Brody seems to know a lot about us already. Do you think maybe he's following us?" Phoebe said.

Piper sighed, "I don't know. But if the Elders sense something big then we need to be careful, whether it's Brody or not. Paige, don't take the boys out today. It's safer here for them with the Book of Shadows near by."

"Sure, no problem."

"I have to be getting off now. God knows what state P3 is gonna be in by the time I get there," Piper exasperated, grabbing her purse before leaving the manor.

Phoebe nodded, "Yeah I have to be getting to work as well. Elise will have me hung, drawn and quartered if I'm not in the office today. I'll keep an eye out in case I see Brody about." She kissed Cole before picking up her laptop and cell-phone, and headed to her car.

"Since you're here with the boys, Paige, I was thinking of taking Cole to the Underworld with me to find out what I can about this new danger. They may also know of any demonic information on Brody if he is one," Leo said. "If you have any problems I won't be able to hear you."

Paige waved off his worries, "Go. My active power will be enough if any demons attack. We'll be fine, won't we?" She looked at the vacant looks on the two infants faces.

Cole finished off his cereal before standing up. "If you're sure." With that, the two males simultaneously orbed and shimmered out of the manor.

"We'll be fine. We're all going to have so much fun. I think today's the day to find out just how fun your 'Fun Aunt Paige' is, don't you?"

Paige inwardly groaned at the sound of a baby's cry.

* * *

It had not been more than two seconds after Leo and Cole that Wyatt and Chris started crying. After four hours of trying to entertain them with stuffed animals and orbing objects all around the house, Paige finally had them settled for a nap.

Paige lay sprawled on the couch watching Dr. Phil and his attempts to reconcile a cheating couple. She snorted at the husband and wife's excuses as to why they had an affair.

'At least they are married. I doubt I ever will be.' Paige was becoming increasingly discontent with the fact that all her relationships had ended in complete disasters. And the one thing in common they had: magic had ruined them.

Glenn was scared away by her demonic possessions and Richard was a magic junkie; she couldn't have carried on with magic with Richard in her life.

She looked over to the play-pen that Wyatt and Chris shared. She smiled at the two. Then again, magic did have its positives. Wyatt and Chris were two reasons why she enjoyed being a witch. Their innocent expressions were enough to give her hope that maybe one day she will be able to pass on her gift to her children.

The tiny hairs on the back of her neck suddenly sprung up, causing Paige to sit upright. This only happened when she sensed a demon attack was imminent.

She rushed to the play-pen and gently woke Wyatt up. "Wyatt, when I say so I want you to put up your force-field, ok? Protect you brother." As the toddler mutely nodded, she set off around the manor.

She circled the dining area and the kitchen before coming back into the sun-room, all the while steadying her hand in case a power-ball was sent her way. As she made her way back into the living room where the play-pen was, three demons covered in ancient markings shimmered in around her.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A Charmed One all alone? Now what will we do?" the demon in front of her said.

"Wyatt, force-field!" Paige yelled. The blue shield surrounded the two infants and upon seeing this, the demon nearest to the play-pen tried to break it with a power-ball "Chair!" Paige orbed a chair, slamming it into the demon.

Suddenly power-balls starting from different directions, hitting Paige, sending her across the room and into the wall. Just as two balls simultaneously came hurtling towards her she managed to deflect them back to her attackers, causing them to burst into flames.

At the sight of this, the third demon retreated out of the manor. This was the final thing Paige saw before she blacked out.

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Piper exclaimed, as she came running into the manor. She surveyed the room. One broken chair was all that appeared to be damaged. Paige was lying on the couch with Leo over her, trying to heal her. Cole stood over the play-pen, attempting to pull funny faces for the amusement of Wyatt and Chris.

"We don't know. We came back to see a force-field around the boys and Paige unconscious on the ground," Leo replied to his wife's question.

"We think a demon attacked," Cole said.

Piper rolled her eyes, "You think? Well why didn't Paige call?"

"Oh I'm sorry. I was kinda trying to avoid being killed Piper," Paige said groggily, regaining consciousness on the couch. She sat up and looked around. "There were three of them. I think I recognise them from the Book of Shadows. Anyway, I managed to kill two of them but the third got away. I'll start scrying for him."

Paige stood up and quickly ascended the stairs.

"You know, you don't have to be so hard on her, Piper. She could have been killed," Leo said.

Piper let out a frustrated sigh, "I know. Are the boys ok?"

* * *

Cole, pleased with getting a giggle out of Wyatt, walked towards the couple, "Yeah, there isn't a scratch on them. I'll go help Paige upstairs."

Cole walked into the attic to find Paige stood over the Book of Shadows and a map of San Francisco, while moving a crystal over it.

"I haven't managed to find him yet but I will let you know when I do," she said to her brother-in-law.

"Are you ok, Paige? I've come to help you."

She raised her eye-brow, "Let me guess, Piper sent you to make sure I don't blow the house up."

"No, Paige, I just figured you may still be a bit shook up and thought you could use my demonic expertise. Your sister trusts you."

Paige snorted at his response, "Trust? When it comes to me, she doesn't know what the word means." She saw the look on his face and immediately wished she hadn't said anything. "Listen, forget that last comment. I guess I'm still a little shook up."

"I know that we haven't really been that close in the past but I want you to know you can always talk to me in confidence. Anything you say I won't tell anyone, including Phoebe."

She smiled at him, "Thanks Cole." The crystal rested on the map. "The demon's in an alleyway off Regent Street."

Piper appeared at the doorway of the attic, "You find him?"

"Yeah, he's in an alleyway. The Book of Shadows says the demon's a bounty hunter from the Order of Nygon. Low level demon - I should be able to take him out with his own power-ball like the others."

Cole said, "Well I'll go with you just in case there are others."

"Ok, I'm sorry Paige for what I said downstairs. I didn't mean to appear insensitive, it's just I was worried about the boys," Piper said apologetically.

Paige nodded, "It's alright. I understand. Well, we better go or the demon will start moving around."

"Hop on." Paige took hold of Cole's hand and the two shimmered away.

* * *

Cole shimmered in with Paige and positioned them behind a dumpster in the alleyway. The demon appeared to be sat on an empty box, thinking.

"You ready?" Cole whispered.

Paige and Cole stepped out from behind the dumpster and stood in front of the demon, blocking any chance of a quick get-a-away.

"You!" the demon snarled to Paige.

"That's right. I brought along a friends to help. You know Belthazar?"

"I heard there was a demon working with the Charmed Ones. You are a disgrace to your kind!" The demon conjured a power-ball in his hand and was about to toss it at Paige when Cole threw his own power-ball into the demon. The demon instantly burst into flames.

"Well that was easier than I thought," Paige sighed.

"Wow, that was incredible." Paige and Cole froze at the sound of a civilian's voice. The two turned around to see a man with short dark hair, dressed in a suit standing at the opening of the alleyway.

"Oh, crap." Paige gulped.

* * *

Feel free to review and tell me what you think.

Chapter 2 coming soon.


	2. First Encounter

Thanks for reviewing my chapter:

Danielle503

Kendallpaigecharity

TVCrazed

Afw

CharmedFan101

Here's….

Chapter 2

"Is there any chance that you have been drinking heavily all day and will count this as a hallucination, sir?" Paige said weakly, a look of panic appearing on her face.

The man started to walk towards the two, causing Cole to stand in front of Paige, "I don't think he is a random guy, Paige."

"Was that a demon?"

Confusion replaced the panic on Paige's face, "A demon? How do you know about-"

"I mean, I've read all about them but I've never seen one in real life before. And I have never seen one do…. that before," he said, gesturing to where the demon went up in flames moments before.

Cole took a step towards the man, "Let me guess. Agent Brody." He started to conjure a power-ball in his right hand.

At the sound of those two words, Paige pulled Cole away from the man, destroying the power-ball, and started to slowly back-up. "We don't know who he is Cole. Or what he is. If he's human then killing him is murder."

Brody laughed, "Murder? Easy now. What I am? Oh, right, you probably think I'm a demon. After all, Cole wasn't who he said he is when you first met him. Not to mention that whole Source phase he went through."

"How the hell do you know about that?" Cole spat out.

Brody ignored the simmering man and looked at Paige, "Listen, I don't want to hurt you Paige, you need to know that. I promise you I'm not a threat to you or your family."

"And why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm telling you the truth. How can I make you believe me? Here, take my blood. Test it to see if it's human." He picked up a scrap of metal from the alley, sliced his hand and held the wound out to her.

She looked at Cole before slowly making her way towards Brody. She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his hand, letting the material soak the blood up.

"Thanks," she said quietly, before retreating back to Cole's side.

"I may get blood poisoning but at least you'll know I'm human," Brody chuckled weakly.

Cole snapped back, "This proves nothing except that you're willing to mutilate yourself."

"Well, when you're ready to start talking, call me." He passed Paige a business card with his contact details and started to walk away. Just before he left the alleyway he turned back, "You can trust me Paige."

"What a jackass!" Cole said, when he knew Brody was out of earshot. "You can trust me Paige! Hardly a convincing argument. I don't trust the guy."

"I don't either. Why does he want our help? And how come he knows so much about us?" Paige questioned. "We better get back to the manor so we can find out who or what he is."

* * *

Paige stood over the table in the attic looking at the contents in front of her. Vial after vial of potions lay empty and Brody's blood specimen lay in the centre of the table.

She had tried every test she could possibly think of to see whether Brody was a demon and they were all negative. Paige's mind was filled with the realisation that for the first time they could possibly be dealing with a human enemy.

Yet even as her mind processed the thoughts, things didn't add up. Usually Paige had a vibe of whether someone was a threat. The first time she met Cole she wasn't suspicious but as the months went on and his behaviour became erratic, that's when she started to have doubts.

The vibe she was getting from Brody was not the same as she usually got from an enemy. But she wasn't about to tell her sisters that.

"Well, is he a demon or human?" Phoebe and Piper walked into the attic and stood near her sister.

"He's human."

Piper furrowed her eyebrows, "Are you sure? I mean, have you tried everything?"

"Every conceivable potion I can think of. He is definitely all human. There's no doubt about it."

"Well what the hell are we gonna do? We can't vanquish a human. What exactly did he say to you Paige?" Phoebe asked.

"All he said was that he needed our help and that we can trust him."

"But how did he know about Cole and the Source? He must have been monitoring us for year."

"Or he's working with a demon that has known us for years," Piper added.

Phoebe shook her head, "Either way, I don't trust him and I don't think that we should contact him. He could be setting a trap for us."

"What if he knows something about the new threat?" Paige asked.

"No, Phoebe's right, we don't contact him. We'll just have to wait and see if he makes the first move," Piper said. "Leo and Cole found nothing out when they went to the Underworld so until we hear anything about it, let's not be worried by the threat. Besides, the Elders have been known to overreact sometimes."

Paige decided it would be easier to admit defeat, "I guess you're right. I can't help but feel worried though."

"We've been doing this longer Paige. There's nothing to worry about yet. Cole and I are going out tonight. Call me on my cell-phone if there's any problem." Phoebe quickly walked out of the attic, leaving Piper and Paige.

"Do you want me to look after the boys tonight?" Paige said, as she started to clean up the mess she had made with Brody's blood and the empty vials.

"No, Leo and I are staying in tonight. Trying to catch up on some quality time together."

Paige couldn't help but crack a smile, "Oh, right, 'quality time'. Gotcha."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Paige. We're just going to have a romantic meal together. So could you…."

"Stay out of the manor tonight? Sure, there's a piece of chocolate cake with my name on it on display at a restaurant in town."

Piper smiled, "Thanks Paige."

* * *

Paige looked around at the crowded restaurant. A sea of loved-up couples littered the tables near her, yet here she was, sat in the corner like a loser spinster, while piling on the pounds with fatty cake.

'This sort of thing is only supposed to happen on Valentine's Day. I guess the God's are trying to tease me,' she thought, as she took another fork-full of chocolate.

A voice behind her interrupted her depressing thoughts, "Is this seat taken?"

'Kill me now.'

Brody slid into the seat across from Paige, a grin plastering his face.

"Are you following me?" Paige questioned him, a suspicious look appearing on her face.

"I just happened to walk past and what did I see? A Charmed One all alone in need of company. Did you do the test yet to tell you I'm not a demon?"

Paige rolled her eyes, "Say it a little louder, I don't think the chefs in the kitchen quite heard it."

"Sorry, I guess I'm just excited so you can start helping me."

"I'm not helping anyone." Paige threw down a $20 bill and swiftly made her way out of the restaurant. She managed to cross the street before Brody caught up to her.

"What do you mean, you're not helping me?" he said, jumping in front of her path. "I'm not a demon, what's the problem?"

"What's the problem? The problem is we know nothing about you and yet you seem to know a little too much about our lives. Oh, and about magic and demons. If you're not evil then how do you know about us? No normal human being does."

"I have good contacts."

Paige rolled her eyes once again at his ambiguous answer, "I bet you do. And I bet they're not of the human variety."

"Why would I come to you if I'm evil? I'm asking for your help, not your lives."

"Let me hazard a guess, you want my help killing someone or something. The Charmed Ones only help Innocents."

Brody smiled cockily, "How do you know I'm not an Innocent?"

"Because Innocents aren't usually government agents. And they don't have surveillances on us either."

"What is it going to take for you and your sisters to trust me?" he asked.

"I don't know."

Brody reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. "Well I hope this is a start. In here is everything you need to know about me. Give it to your sisters and read it. If you have any questions then call me."

She reluctantly took the envelope and placed it in her purse.

"What exactly do you want from us?" Paige asked.

"I need you help eliminating some demons."

"What? Why?"

"Because if you don't kill them then they'll kill you. And that means you won't be able to stop the threat when it comes."

At the mention of the threat, she froze. "How do you know about that Brody?"

Brody smiled when he saw the impact his words had on the young woman, "Because I just do. And call me Kyle."

With that, Kyle Brody strutted off into the darkness, happy that he may have made a breakthrough with Paige.

* * *

Brody made sure Paige was out of sight before he called out into the darkness, "Ok, it's done."

In an instance he was transferred to a dark cave in the Underworld. In front of Brody stood a hooded figure.

"Is it done?" the menacing voice asked.

"Yeah, she took the bait."

"Are you sure? Because I distinctly remember last time you came here you said the same thing and yet produced nothing for me."

"It was a mistake going after the other two. Paige hasn't been doing this for as long as Phoebe and Piper. Besides, Paige has a weakness. She's still the outsider of the family."

The anonymous figure sneered, "That is correct. Piper and Phoebe still don't trust her fully. Her youth is a weakness to them. Very well, it is Paige we will go through. Did you deposit the potion?"

Kyle smiled, "It was easier than I thought. I slipped it into her cake when she ordered it. What is it anyway? It won't hurt her, will it?"

"No, it is a simple mixture to allow me to manipulate her dreams tonight. I will make her trust you through her subconscious. When I say the word, we will begin eliminating the demons."

Brody was about to ask a question but decided against it. The figure saw this and was intrigued by the agent. "What do you wish to know?"

"Are the demons you told of going to kill the sisters?"

"No, but they don't need to know that. The only threat they are to is me. And I'll be damned if any of those lowlife demons kill me."

"When will you begin with Paige?"

"Tonight."

* * *

Paige looked over the numerous pieces of paper laid on her bed. She had read all the information Brody had given her and everything appeared normal.

His birth certificate, family tree, Homeland Security career, every job he had had since he was 15, even the names and addresses of his family and friends, it was all there.

She had to admit, she was shocked when he mentioned the danger the Elders knew about. How did he know? How did he know that it would phase her? And why does he want the sisters to help him? A demon wanting them dead was not an uncommon occurrence but why did he know specific demons that need to be killed?

Paige lay down on her pillow. Her head hurt with all the questions that had emerged with her conversation with Kyle. Sometimes she wished her life was uncomplicated, like it was before she met the sisters.

As she drifted off into a deep sleep, the last thing she contemplated was how her sisters would react to her meeting with Brody.

* * *

I should update Chapter 3 soon, please feel free to review with feedback. 


	3. A Bond Forming?

Thanks to:

CharmedFan101

danielle503

Afw

smiley

Nan7

for reviewing the last chapter. Here's…

Chapter 3

The wind cascaded through her long, black hair. The white satin dress that clung to the contours of her body shimmered with the breeze. As she stood at the edge of the cliff she finally felt free.

In this world she wasn't a Charmed One. She was Paige Halliwell. She wasn't a witch. She was herself.

The shadow behind her made her feel at ease. Having him near her soothed her.

"I love it here. I can finally be who I want to be. No-more having to conform to what I don't want to be." She smiled as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and she leant back onto the strong chest.

"I love you for who you are. Don't ever change, Paige, you're perfect as you are."

"Thank you." She turned around to face the man she loved. "You're my saviour."

"And you're mine. I will always be here for you. I won't ever let anyone hurt you, Paige. I don't care if it's your family or your enemies. You will always be safe in my arms."

"I love you Kyle Brody."

"And I love you Paige Halliwell."

* * *

Paige gasped as she awoke. She shivered as she realised it was only a dream. Disappointment that what she felt in her dream wasn't real washed over her face. The man in her dreams had made her feel so safe, so loved. But why was it Brody?

She definitely didn't have feelings for him so why did she say in her dream that she loved him?

She wiped the sweat from her face and put her romantic dream down to the fact that he was the last person to see yesterday. His words kept ringing in her ears, though…. 'I won't ever let anyone hurt you, Paige. I don't care if it's your family or your enemies.' Why would her family hurt her?

'Forget it Paige. It was just a dream.'

* * *

"Good morning," Leo said, as Paige entered the kitchen. Piper, Leo, Phoebe and Cole were all sat around the kitchen table.

"Good morning to you too," she replied, sitting next to her whitelighter brother-in-law. "How was your evening last night?"

Leo and Piper smiled at each other, "It was great Paige. What about yours?"

"It was… interesting. I ran into Brody… well I didn't run into him, he sort of invited himself to join me at the restaurant."

The four people at the table suddenly shot looks at Paige.

"What did he want?" Phoebe asked, concerned.

"He told me again that he needed our help. He said that apparently he needs help killing some demons that are going to kill us. And that he knows about this new threat."

"How is that possible? Even the Elders don't know about it," Leo stated. "Since when has he been concerned about your safety?"

Paige shrugged, "I don't know. He also gave me this." She took the folded envelope out of her jeans pocket and placed it in Piper's hands. "He said that he hopes this will allow us to start trusting him."

"What are going to do about this? He's obviously not going to back off," Cole said. "You want Belthazar to have a word with him?"

Paige laughed at the thought of Brody coming face-to-face with Cole's demonic side, "As appealing as that sounds, I don't think it's a good idea. We may need more information about the new threat from him."

"Paige is right. We have nothing to go on but what he knows. Maybe you should give him a chance," said Leo.

Piper scanned through the pile of papers given to her and passed them to Phoebe, "He looks kosher on paper but we still don't know if he's working with a demon. I want you to be careful next time he sees you Paige. It's obvious he is targeting Paige to get to us all."

"Why do you think that?" Paige asked.

"He probably thinks you're the weakest." Phoebe's answer hurt Paige.

Weak? She wasn't weak. Leo saw the effect of Phoebe's answer on the youngest sister.

"I'm sure he doesn't think that Paige. You're just the easiest to make contact with. Piper would blow him up in a second and Cole is Phoebe's personal bodyguard. Besides, you're also more trusting. He's playing on your emotions. But Piper's right, this still may be a trap."

"Ok, I guess it wouldn't hurt to carry around a few mild potions if he turns on me."

Ring. Ring.

The sound of the house phone disrupted the conversation. Piper picked up the phone, "Hello?" Her face immediately fell when she heard the voice on the other line, "What do you want?"

"Who is it?" Phoebe whispered to her older sister. Piper shushed her with a swift move of her arm.

"What time?" Piper said into the phone. "Fine, but don't think for one second that we will listen to what you have to say." She hung up the phone and let out a frustrated grunt.

Paige knew that it didn't take a genius to work out who it was, "Was that Brody?"

"Apparently he wants to meet us to discuss an attack on the manor," Piper grunted.

Phoebe shook her head, "Uh uh, no way. What if it's a trap and he's the one attacking us?"

Cole nodded, "Phoebe's right. We still don't know enough about him."

"Well what choice do we have? This would be a perfect way to see if he's actually telling the truth. We make sure when he comes here that he can't ambush us. We'll be prepared," Paige reasoned. She looked at Piper, "He may be our only chance of being able to defeat the new threat, whatever it is."

"She's got a point, Piper," Leo said.

Piper looked at the four faces in front of her, "Fine, we'll meet him. But at the first sign of trouble I'm gonna start blasting. Whether he's human or not."

* * *

Kyle straightened his jacket as he stood on the front steps of the manor. The moment had finally come where he would enter the inner sanctions of the Charmed Ones' home for the first time.

He was surprised that they had actually agreed to this meeting. Despite the progress he had made with Paige, he still didn't think she was close to trusting him.

As he knocked on the door, he prayed the meeting would go as planned. He fixed what appeared to be a genuine smile on his face but when he saw who opened the door, it soon disappeared.

"Hi Cole, are the sisters in?" Brody tried to manoeuvre his way past the stocky man but couldn't.

Cole stared the federal agent in the eyes, "I'm watching you." Cole reluctantly let Brody past and into the foyer of the manor.

Cole guided Kyle into the front living room where they were greeted by the three sisters, all stood in different areas of the room. Leo was stood beside Piper, to her left was Phoebe and her right Paige.

"We going to sit down?" Kyle chuckled weakly.

"I think we'll stand," Phoebe said dryly. "So what do you want Brody?"

"I just thought you might like to know that a darklighter is planning on attacking here to kill Paige," Kyle answered.

Piper narrowed her eyes, "How do you know about this so-called attack? Unless, of course, it's you who is arranging it."

Kyle sighed, "So you still don't trust me? I'm trying to save your sister's life."

"You haven't exactly given us a lot to go on. A few papers telling us who you are doesn't mean anything. Besides, where have you got all this information about us from?" Paige stated.

"I can't tell you."

Phoebe threw her arms up in the air in frustration, "And you expect us to trust you with an answer like that?"

"All we know about you is that you're human. And frankly that isn't enough for us. If you want us to trust you then you have to show us that you're trustworthy. So tell us where you found out that someone is going to try and kill me today," Paige said.

Brody looked at the youngest sister and sighed, "Alright. I have an informant, of the demon variety, who has told me all about you. I asked him to pass me on any information that might help you. He heard that a darklighter was going to attack today."

Cole didn't fully believe his answer, "And why would a demon help you?"

"Demons aren't all bad. You of all people should know," Brody retorted. "Listen Paige, I meant what I said: you can trust me. I'm warning you about this attack because I care about you. I don't want to see you die before the new threat appears. Please just listen to me."

Paige suddenly had flashbacks of her dream from last night. The sincerity in his voice was the same yet she felt uneasy about it. He obviously was holding more back from the sisters.

The sound of Leo's voice pushed her troubled thoughts away. "And what exactly do you know about it? For all we care, you could be bluffing," Leo said.

"Believe me, I'm not. But I can't tell you unless you have faith in me. So you better start believing in what I say."

Paige kept looking at Brody. Why did he appear to care more about her than her family? "So when is this attack going to take place?"

Brody looked at Paige, "I don't know exactly when but I know soon. I think he's going to try and get you alone before he attacks. Listen, I have to go and sort out some other business. Thank you for meeting me."

"I'll show you out." As Paige walked Brody to the door, her two sisters gave each other a questioning look.

"You understand why we have to be this way? Our lives are filled with people trying to kill us so you can imagine we aren't forthcoming to people who know all about us," she said to Brody.

He smiled, "I completely understand. I meant what I said. I'm not going to hurt any of you. And you can always talk to me Paige in private."

She raised her eyebrows, "Why would I want to talk to you in private?"

"I don't know. But if you want to, I'm just a phone number away." Brody smiled as he left Paige standing in the doorway with a perplexed look on her face.

Paige shut the door and walked back to where Piper, Phoebe, Leo and Cole were deep in conversation. "So what do you think?"

"I still don't believe the guy. Why would he be working with a demon, and are there actually any who are on our side?" Phoebe asked.

"Still, I think we should be careful in case he is right about the darklighter," Leo said.

Piper sighed, "Don't leave the manor today Paige. You'll be safer here with us all."

* * *

Paige sat in her bed listening to her CD player. Even though Kyle had warned of an attack, no darklighter had tried to attack her.

She knew that Piper and Phoebe were starting to dislike Brody, and the fact that no-one had tried to attack confirmed to them that he was lying. But for some reason she had believed him and now she felt disappointed.

For the first time since she had met the sisters someone had actually shown and interest in her, and not just for her magical abilities. It meant a lot to her that he said he cared about her and she didn't know why.

The dream she had had of him was still playing on her mind. She knew that she definitely did not have feelings for him the way she had with Richard, yet she knew that his presence was not threatening but soothing.

She decided to put all thoughts of Kyle out of her mind and get ready for bed. She switched off her CD player, left it on her bed and went to the bathroom to get changed into her pyjamas.

When she returned to her room, she felt an air of uneasiness. She looked round to check everything was in place before closing her door. As she went back to lie on her bed and listen to a CD player again, she was unaware of the darklighter that orbed into her room.

Turning the CD player onto Bryan Adams 'Everything I Do', she closed her eyes to listen to the relaxing voice.

A sudden shooting pain jolted her eyes open, where she saw a menacing darklighter standing over her. She looked down with wide eyes to see an arrow protruding through her stomach and a blooded stain growing on her shirt.

"Sweet dreams Paige." Before she had chance to call for help, another arrow shot into her chest, knocking her unconscious.

* * *

Chapter 4 should be up soon. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think. 


	4. A Close Save

Wow I didn't realise I hadn't updated in a while. Well first off thanks to those who reviewed...

Afw

Dragoneye

smiley

WyaRose

danielle503

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Reviews are much appreciated!!!

Well, without further ado here's...

Chapter 4

"Are the boys alright?" Piper asked, as Leo walked into their bedroom and climbed into bed beside her.

"Yeah, Chris was just a little fussy but they're fine now," he answered. "How are you?" He could tell that his wife was worried about something.

"I'm fine." This answer was the one her husband believed. "Ok so I'm not fine but there's nothing you can do about it."

"Talk to me. I'm not just your whitelighter, I'm your husband too."

She sighed, "I just…. I don't know about Brody. He comes into our lives knowing all the details and says that all he wants is our help. Is it wrong that we don't trust him? Paige seems to."

"Paige hasn't been a witch as long as you have so you're bound to be more cautious. I mean you have to admit, he did say someone was going to attack and they haven't."

"I know. There are so many signs there that make him seem suspicious. Oh, I don't know. Maybe I've been a witch too long and I can't find the good in people."

"You've every right to be sceptical. To put your mind at rest I'll go see the Elders tomorrow, ask them if they know anything new about him."

"Thank you, honey. You're my hero." Piper kissed Leo.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about something. Well, someone. Paige."

"Is something wrong with her?" Piper asked, worried.

Leo shook his head, "No, no, I just wanted to talk to you about the way you and Phoebe are with her and magic. I know you guys think she isn't mature enough to have the full responsibilities that the two of you do. But there is going to come a point where she will turn against you if you're not careful. You have to start treating her as an equal."

"Has she said something to you?"

"She doesn't have to. When I went to the Underworld I heard whispers. Demons are talking about the obvious divide between the three of you and they might use that to their advantage. Remember, we almost lost her to The Source when she first came into our lives."

"I didn't know it was this serious," Piper said. "I'll try and talk to her."

"That's all I was asking. Cole is going to talk to Phoebe about this. We thought it might be best if we talked to you both separately."

Piper raised an eyebrow, "You and Cole? Since when have you been a double team?"

"We're just trying to put the past behind us and work together. Anyway, we both sense that Paige isn't being herself. She seems really unhappy. Make her see that she's not just a Charmed One but she's also your sister."

"I guess so," she said, "Do you really think I'm making her unhappy? I don't mean to."

He embraced his wife into a hug, "I know you don't. You're trying to protect her. But she's not a little girl. You need to make her feel like she belongs here."

"Ok, I'll speak to her in the morning."

"That's my girl." Leo leant in to kiss his wife, but before they could touch a deep shooting pain exploded in the pit of his stomach. "Aaahhhh!"

"Oh my god, Leo. What's wrong?"

"I…. I…. Paige!" he gasped.

At the mention of her sister, Piper jumped out of bed and ran down the hallway to the door of her room. She swung the door open to see a darklighter stood over her sister, who was lying motionless on her bed.

"Hey!" The darklighter turned round just in time to see Piper blow him up. "Paige!"

She ran to the side of Paige's bed, which was soaked in her blood. Two arrows stuck out of her body and as Piper picked up her hand, Paige's fingers felt cold.

"Leo!" Piper screamed. A moment later, Leo staggered into Paige's room, still clutching his stomach at the shooting pain. "She's cold! You have to heal her before it's too late."

As Leo ran to the other side of Paige, a dishevelled Phoebe and Cole came running into the room to find out what was going on.

"Piper, why are you-" Phoebe lost her voice when she saw her sister lying on the bed. "Oh my god! What happened?" she cried hysterically, "She can't be….. is she dead?"

"Let me help." Cole moved to Paige and gently removed the two arrows from her body.

Piper and Phoebe wept as they watched Leo place his hands on the arrow wounds. "I don't think she's dead, but a few seconds more and she would be."

All four pairs of eyes watched closely to see the blood on Paige's t-shirt slowly fade away and her eyes open. She was immediately met with two pairs of arms hugging her tightly.

"Oh thank god you're alright!" Phoebe exclaimed. "What happened in here?" The two sisters slowly released Paige when they realised she couldn't breathe.

"I was lying on my bed when I got shot with an arrow. I was about to call someone when the darklighter hit me again with one. Then I blacked out."

"That was a close call. You almost died Paige," Leo said.

Cole nodded, "Yeah, but the main thing is you didn't. And you know what this means. Brody was right. I guess he was looking out for you"

Phoebe shrugged her shoulders, "I suppose so. But does it mean anything? Darklighters are always coming after Leo or Paige."

"Cole is right. It seems Brody was telling the truth. Maybe we should contact him to see what he needs," Piper replied. "We'll still be cautious of him but at least we know he hasn't lied to us. So far."

* * *

Kyle was woken by the sound of ringing in his ears. He rolled over in his bed to see the sun creeping through his curtains. He picked up his phone from off his nightstand but didn't recognise the caller's number.

"Hello," he spoke into the phone.

"Hi, Kyle?"

Kyle quickly sat up in his bed at the sound of Paige's voice through his phone, "Uh hi Paige, what's up?"

"I just wanted to ring and say thanks for warning me about the darklighter."

"Did he attack?"

"Yeah, he attacked alright."

"Did he hurt you?"

He heard her chuckle lightly into the phone, "You could say that. Anyway I was just ringing to tell you that I talked with my sisters and we've decided to help you with some demons. Do you still think there are some after us?"

"Yeah. I was talking with my contact before and he said there are doesn't seem to be any planned attacks soon so you and your sisters should be safe for now."

"Believe me Kyle, we are never safe. How about you come over to the house this afternoon and Piper and I will start working on how to find the demons. Ok?"

"Sure, I'll see you then."

"Bye."

"Bye, Paige," he replied. He smiled as he hung up the phone.

Finally he was getting through to the sisters. If things kept progressing their plan was sure to work.

* * *

Once again Kyle found himself knocking on the front door of the Halliwell house. He waited with baited breathe to see if Cole would open the door. When he saw it was Paige who greeted him, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Hi, come on in."

He stepped into the manor and proceeded to follow her up the stairs, all the way to the attic. When they reached the top, he walked in to see Piper stood over an old book, with numerous vials of coloured liquid set on a table.

Piper looked up as the two walked into the attic, "So Brody, let's get started."

"Please, call me Kyle."

"I don't think so," she replied. "I don't trust you that much."

Kyle smiled, "Well at least you invited me over here."

Paige started turning the pages of the Book of Shadows, "Do you know the types of demons that you think are a threat to us?"

"Yeah, I think the first ones are called Jynx demons. Apparently they are low-level, whatever that means, and there's a coven full of them somewhere called the Underworld."

"I think I remember reading about them in here," Paige said. She flipped a few of the pages until she found the one she was looking for. "Yeah, it says here they're low-level, hunt in packs of 4-8 and live in damp areas that have a fresh supply of water. Do you think these are the right demons?" She signalled for Kyle to look at the book.

Piper watched warily as Kyle ran his hands over the pages of the Book of Shadows. She and Paige looked to each other and smiled when they saw that the Book of Shadows did not repel him.

"You satisfied I'm not evil then?" Kyle smiled at the perplexed looks on the sisters faces. "Come on, everyone knows that the Book of Shadows doesn't let evil handle it. At least you guys know now I'm not a demon and I'm not evil."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Piper said. "Now we know what type of demon we're after we're after, let's start vanquishing. I have to be back to collect the boys from the babysitter in a couple of hours."

"I think my contact said they are in the Baryon caves. You know where they are?"

"Yeah, we vanquished some other demons there a couple of years back. Hold on." Paige took her sister and Brody by the hand and orbed out of the attic.

* * *

A moment later, Paige, Piper and Brody appeared through a haze of blue lights in the corner of a dark cave in the Underworld.

"Whoa, that was unreal," Kyle said. "I feel dizzy."

Paige smiled, "Don't worry, it'll pass. There they are." The three of them crouched behind a large boulder to hide from the 6 Jynx demons that were stood in a group a few metres from where the landed.

"What's the plan?" Kyle whispered.

"Paige, take the three on the left and I'll go to the right," Piper answered.

"What about me?"

"You stay behind here. We can't protect you from the demons as well as kill them and you don't have any powers to defend yourself," Paige replied.

"I have a gun."

Piper snapped, "This isn't some video game. You can't shoot demons. They won't die that way. You ready? On three. One. Two. Three."

Piper and Paige jumped out from their hiding place.

"Sorry to disturb you boys." Piper started blasting at the alarmed demons. From behind the boulder Kyle watched as the sisters battled their way through the fighting, dodging power-balls, blowing up demons and reflecting the demons attacks.

When the group of demons were done and dusted, Kyle emerged from behind the boulder.

"That was incredible."

"Welcome to our world," Paige said breathlessly.

* * *

"Do you do that every day?" Kyle asked, taking a sip of his coffee as he and Paige strolled along the pavement of a quiet street.

When they had returned from the Underworld Piper stayed in the manor while Brody offered to take Paige for coffee.

"Sometimes. It depends really on whether there's a new leader of the Underworld. If there is then the attacks are more frequent than say when there is no leader. But there are times when beings come to us for help."

"Beings?"

"Yeah, Gremlins, Gnomes, Fairies, Leprechauns, the Seven Dwarves-"

"The Seven Dwarves? They're real?"

Paige laughed at his shocked face, "All the fairytales are real. They're based on real people. Remind me to tell you about the time a demon cast a spell on me that turned me into Snow White."

"Snow White? Wow, I never knew magic could be so…."

"Complicated? Scary? Dangerous? Believe me, when you spend a year living the life of a witch, nothing surprises you."

"Do you regret knowing the sisters?" he asked. "I mean, what with you only meeting them a couple of years ago."

She sighed, "I honestly don't know. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that I have sisters and that I'm part of this incredible heritage of being a witch. But I had to sacrifice a normal life. I don't have friends, well ones that don't think I'm weird and don't even ask about boyfriends. Yet…."

He looked at her as she stopped talking, "Go on."

"I guess I still don't feel like a full witch. I know Piper and Phoebe still keep things from me."

"What kind of things?"

"Just little things. Like they'll tell me to stay at home while they go off vanquishing demons. I know they're just trying to protect me but it hurts to think that they don't believe in me. It's hard living in the shadow of Prue. I'm guessing you know about Prue?"

He nodded his head. "I'm sure they're still getting used to having a new sister in their lives. It's hard losing members of your family. I know what that feels like." Kyle looked at the youngest Halliwell. 'Maybe I should tell her'.

"My parents died when I was 5."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Kyle," she said.

"It's ok. I'm over it now. But it took some getting used to. Maybe they don't want to have to go through that again with you."

She shrugged, "I suppose you're right."

* * *

Chapter 5 should be updated soon. Thanks for all your feedback.


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